The invention relates to a breast-milk absorbent pad having a fluid-absorbent layer, which is normally made from a fiber material and can optionally contain superabsorbent hydrogel materials to absorb and hold fluid. A breast-milk absorbent pad of this type is described, for example, in EP 0 698 385 A2.
Breast-milk absorbent pads are used to absorb breast milk that reflows in nursing mothers between nursing periods and to prevent clothing from becoming soiled. They are an aid to discretion. Furthermore, breast-milk absorbent pads are usually fitted with an inside surface which is soft and compatible with the skin in order not to create any skin irritation such as a piece of clothing might possibly cause to a breast made tender by nursing.
Mother""s milk consists of fat in a proportion of 2 to 8 percent by mass, on the average of 4.5 percent by mass. The materials customarily used in breast-milk absorbent pads, that is to say, fiber material on a cellulose base and optional superabsorbent hydrogel material, absorb only the aqueous part of the reflowing mother""s milk. The fatty part remains unabsorbed; this means that it adheres to surfaces of the absorbent materials. This causes a reduction in the active surface available for absorbing fluid, and the efficacy of the absorption process is interrupted or reduced. The result of this can be that after a certain time, and depending on the reflowing mother""s milk, it can no longer be absorbed effectively, but runs down from the absorbent materials.